By Dhruv Makhija
Collaboration- the literal meaning of this word is the process of people working together to achieve a shared goal (Online Oxford Dictionary). What collaboration could actually mean for mankind’s journey in the future is a solution Collaboration in general but especially in the field of medicine undoubtedly supports social impact and innovation. As a matter of fact improved health care collaboration has been cited as a key strategy for health care reform (Romanow RJ,2002). When medical professionals unite their expertise, the synergy of their collective intelligence yields innovations that transcend individual capabilities. Collaboration in the field of medicine could bode infinite opportunities for the future. There have been many real life instances when it was the combined excellence of various different medical experts across various nations that helped humanity evade doom.
The Covid-19 pandemic was a recent instance when dark times were upon humanity in the face of a global threat. It was the working together of nations across the world, the best doctors on this planet that helped combat this devastating threat and help humanity come out of it. When the World Health Assembly convened in May 2020, member states passed a resolution emphasising the need for solidarity, resource redistribution, and collective action(WHO,Covid-19 response,Seventy third World Health Assembly 2020). Many individuals agree, and most want their countries to increase collaboration. A poll(PEW Research Center, 2020) in 14 countries showed that about 60% of respondents believed that even greater international collaboration would have further reduced the number of covid-19 cases. This is clear evidence showing how collaboration being the solution to mankind’s problems is the opinion of the general population.
In today's era where humanity is still combating HIV and malaria and where a sure shot cure for cancer is still a hypothesis, collaboration in the field of medicine is the only way with which the health care system can reach its full potential and help humanity prosper. Collaboration in the field of medicine signifies an abundance mindset — which views opportunities as additive rather than exclusive — it is possible for every hospital to improve simultaneously.In Michigan, payers, providers, and patients have benefited from this collaborative approach for over two decades through reduced costs, improved quality, and higher patient satisfaction- another real life example of collaboration being the answer to the problems faced by humanity(Harvard Business Review).
All in all collaboration is the only way humanity can hope to continue to make progress in the medical field as signified by the innovations that the hospitals in Michigan made by learning from each other and also how the world was saved from near catastrophe during the COVID-19 pandemic owing to the contributions of doctors worldwide. The ever existing question of “What is the next evolutionary step for humanity to prosper” has only one answer which is -Collaboration.
By Dhruv Makhija
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